#2: From Police Academy to Hollywood

After his football career was cut short, Reynolds contemplated a career in law enforcement, influenced by his father, who served as the police chief in Riviera Beach, Florida. He enrolled at Palm Beach Junior College to become a police officer.

During this time, his English professor, Watson B. Duncan III, recognized Reynolds’ potential in acting and encouraged him to audition for a play he was producing, “Outward Bound.” Reynolds’ performance earned him the 1956 Florida State Drama Award, steering him toward a career in the performing arts.